If you’ve turned on the news any time during the past year, it’s been hard to miss the wave of young social activism sweeping our nation. Teenagers like David Hogg and Emma González are becoming household names like Malala Yousafzai or the Little Rock Nine before them. More and more, teens are demanding their place Read More
Thin Spaces
Painted between 1510-1512 AD, is an Italian fresco on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. It was painted by a well-known artist named Michelangelo. Measuring 18 feet by 10 feet, it depicts the Biblical creation of Adam. At the center of this painting is the connected fingertips of Adam and God suggesting the connection between Read More
Talking to Teens About Suicide
It doesn’t take a lot of digging around to find alarming statistics regarding the rates of suicide in today’s youth. The Center for Disease Control and Prevent, claims that suicide was the second leading cause for death among 10-24 year olds in 2016. According to The Jason Foundation, each day in our nation, there are Read More
15 Awesome Summer Games
Summer is finally here! This time of year is often a challenge in the ministry world because of all the vacations and traveling. So how do you keep your students engaged? We’ve put together a list of exciting summer games your students will want to play again and again. Name Red Rover Q-tip War Duckie Read More
Youth ministry may be more of a calling than a job, but that doesn’t mean it can’t get somewhat monotonous. When you keep doing your thing, year after year, it’s easy to get stuck in a rut.
You throw a k...
Just before Christmas, I was leading my sixth grade guys' small group in a conversation about the incarnation. My hope was to remind them this season was about more than presents and a break from school. Pretty...
At YouthWorker, we're always looking for a conversation that will help us understand how we can better unpack the Gospel for teenagers. The truth of Jesus impacts the entire life of a student. In ligh...
Advent is the season of waiting, the season of preparation, the season of nearly but not yet. We prepare the manger, but the Baby isn't here yet.
The season of Advent, traditionally the four weeks prior to Chr...
Before my seniors leave for college, we spend a good deal of time talking about various campus ministries. Our hope is to encourage students to get involved in them (or in a church on their college campus).
As...
Christmas is the time of the year that we celebrate the Newborn King through hot cocoa, ugly sweaters, service projects, and crazy games. Here are 25 ideas that I’ve tested myself that you can use this Christ...
For this game, each team will decorate one of its own members as a human Christmas tree using the following: crepe paper streamers, paper ornaments, face paint, color markers, masking tape and a paper star tre...
This Christmas version of the traditional scavenger hunt makes for some fun house-to-house travel and also can connect your teenagers to the wider congregation. Make a list of items people traditionally would ...
Over the last 25 years of teaching and training thousands of Christian teenagers across the nation, I’ve encountered countless young people who have struggled with sexual shame.
For some, it is guilt as a r...
Divide teens into two groups. Give each group a water gun and a source of water (bucket, hose, etc). Pick two volunteers to start. Have volunteers stand 15 feet away from each other and tell them to use their...